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Nathan Palmer had 93 catches for 1,575 yards and 16 TDs in his 20-start college career. (AP)

A.J. Jenkins played at Illinois.

Nathan Palmer played at Northern Illinois.

Jenkins was the 30th overall pick in the draft.

Palmer wasn’t among the 253 players drafted.

Last week, Palmer laughed when asked about another difference between the two players on opposite ends of the rookie-wide-receiver spectrum. Jerry Rice has invited Jenkins to run The Hill, the taxing uphill workout he made famous during his playing days.

Palmer? In mid-May, he wrote this on Twitter: “Now following the GOAT! @JerryRice looking for the hill they talk about … need it after that rookie minicamp session.”

Yes, Palmer acknowledged with a laugh, he might have to weasel his way into a workout with the NFL’s greatest wideout.

“No luck on my end, yet,” Palmer said. “He talks to A.J. quite a bit. Hopefully, once he comes around and sees A.J. I can sneak in there. Any time you can get around the greatest of all time – they call him The G.O.A.T – any time you have a chance like that you want to get around one of those guys.”

The differences between Jenkins and Palmer aren’t hard to spot, but there is one similarity: They both could be with the 49ers entering Week 1 of the regular season.

While Jenkins is assured of making the 53-man roster, Palmer appears to have a good chance of landing on the practice squad.

Palmer visited Santa Clara before the draft – he also visited the Seahawks and Colts – and signed with San Francisco based on the team’s level of interest. Seattle and Indianapolis, he said, were among several other post-draft suitors. The 49ers offered Palmer a $10,000 signing bonus, according to CSN Bay Area. It was the biggest bonus given to any of their undrafted free agents.

“The Seahawks and Colts, they contacted me,” Palmer said. “But no one was as quick as the 49ers.”

Palmer (5-11, 195) boosted his stock with a strong performance at Northern Illinois’ pro day. He ran a sub-4.4 40-yard dash, had a broad jump of 10-5 and a 37-inch vertical jump. His broad jump would have ranked tied for sixth among wideouts at the NFL combine and his vertical jump would have tied for 13th.

A slot receiver in college, Palmer had 47 catches for 695 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior in a spread offense that emphasized the run – NIU had 595 rushing attempts and threw 408 passes. In a nod to his speed, Palmer averaged 9.5 yards on 21 carries during his career.

Palmer is realistic. On a team with Michael Crabtree, Randy Moss, Mario Manningham, Ted Ginn, Kyle Williams and Jenkins, his chances of making the 53-man roster are slim. He’s been emboldened, though, by Jim Harbaugh, who’s told all the long shots that they have the license to earn a spot on the team … if not a place alongside Rice on The Hill.

“Coach Harbaugh preaches that you’ve got to come here and be ready to take a job because no one is going to hand it to you,” Palmer said. “So these guys have been playing for years and now we’re coming in here trying to play, too.”